alternative title: rose moon
pairing: Tsumugu/Chisaki
alternate universe: inspired by mermaids and selkie myths
notes: Last edited July 2018. I honestly really like this AU but don't have the mental energy to finish planning or actually writing.
This entire collection 'detritus' is already posted in full on my AO3 account, with the same title and same username.
Tsumugu wakes with the sun, as always. There's barely enough light to see by, soft pink and orange growing steadily brighter as the sun rises. It's a welcome change from the past two violently dismal mornings, which had been products of a late spring storm that kept Tsumugu and his grandfather Isamu
Tsumugu steps into the kitchen and nods a greeting at Isamu, who is already awake and preparing their breakfast. A pot of tea is already brewing over the small central fire in the dining room. He busies himself with packing a lunch, mentally running over the list of traps he has to check and probably repair before resetting them at a later date. Both he and his grandfather are quiet people with little to say to each other, so breakfast is silent and Tsumugu leaves Isamu with only an 'I'm off' as he heads out the door.
Tsumugu takes the stone steps down the cliff to the beach with the confidence that years of practice brings and heads across the sand towards where he'd left the Kihara family's fishing boat two days previously. It's a sturdy vessel that has seen worse storms and as Tsumugu looks it over he's glad to see that it suffered no damage. He's got it turned over and is pushing it towards the water when a glimmer of something bright white catches his eye.
-x-x-
One time, as a child scavenging the beach after a storm, Tsumugu had found a shred of something caught on a rock. It was a fragile thing that glittered and caught the sun, sparkling blue and white before crumbling into a fine powder in his hands. His grandfather had examined the remains solemnly. A fragment of skin from a seafolk, he'd told Tsumugu once the boy's parents were out of earshot.
His grandfather's bedtime stories about the people who lived in cities under the ocean waves were some of Tsumugu's favorites, but as he'd gotten older and more involved in taking over Isamu's duties as a village fisherman, he'd quietly set them aside. That didn't mean he'd forgotten those stories, though.
-x-x-
Tsumugu leaves off pushing at the boat to examine the area where he'd seen the glitter of light. He steps around driftwood and heaps of seaweed, careful to avoid the sharp shells and rocks that had been thrown up on the beach by last night's stormy waves. Cold
As he gets closer, he sees another wink of light. Tsumugu tilts his head and follows it to one of the rings of boulders that sticks out in the ocean like a natural dock. He isn't expecting to find much, at most one of the glass floats from an old lobster trap or maybe a particularly large mother-of-pearl shell.
What he does find is a fold of material- the same material he'd found as a child, what his grandfather had called seafolk skin, ena. Tsumugu reaches out to touch it carefully. It's a much larger piece than the one he'd found as a child- what he can see of it is enough to cover his arms. More of it is hidden under piles of seagrass and Tsumugu crouches down in the surf to sweep the offending strands away.
The ena, when he touches it, is wet. It's soft and pliant, nearly invisible in the water except for where the light catches it just right and then it sparkles. Still more of it is piled around the rocks and Tsumugu is so very careful when he gathers more of it up. He makes sure to leave it partly in the water as he untangles it from the seaweeds and rocks. He doesn't want it to crumble into powder the way it had before.
Part of it is still caught on the far rocks. Tsumugu reaches over to where the ena is caught and gently works it free. The last few lengths of it glide through the water. When he tugs it towards him, he hears a soft noise. It's out of place amongst the sound of pounding surf, a wounded animal's noise.
-x-x-
To say he's startled by what he finds on the other side of the boulder is an understatement. Tsumugu drops the glittering material into the tidepool without a second thought and wades over as fast as he can, because on the far side, lying half in the water and half across the rocks, is a girl.
He knows she's not human. It was obvious the instant he saw her, really- no human on earth has hair in such a vibrant shade of indigo or skin that glitters like fish scales. She is unconscious but breathing, Tsumugu determines after watching her chest rise and fall a few times. Several gashes across her legs and arms are still dripping blood. It tints the water trapped under her body dark red. He's vaguely horrified by the extent of her wounds- there doesn't seem to be an inch of skin left unmarked.
Tsumugu scoops water up in his hands and drips it over her forehead to wash away the blood crusting in her hair. He tries to wash away the worst of the sand and blood from her injuries without looking too closely at her or touching her directly. Still, he notices how sharp her nails are, almost like claws, and how pale her skin is in comparison to his. Her hair shimmers up close, a mix of blue and purple that blends together into a shade of indigo he's only seen on flowers before. She's the most beautiful girl he's ever seen.
Tsumugu is in the middle of pouring more seawater over her torso when she stirs. He lowers his arms and stays as still as possible. She opens her eyes slowly, blinking back a second set of eyelids as she does. Their gazes meet and Tsumugu finds himself reflected in eyes the same brilliant blue-green shade as the ocean. For a minute, the only sound is that of the waves breaking against rocks.
"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," Tsumugu says in as calm a voice as he can manage, raising his hands to show her that he's unarmed. "I won't hurt you," he tells her when he sees her stiffen with fear. "I want to help you." She studies him for another moment before appearing to come to a decision and nodding her head ever so slightly when he reaches out towards her.
It's difficult to do by himself, especially when the rocks are slippery and sharp, but Tsumugu manages to gather the girl in his arms and carry her back to the beach. It helps that she doesn't weigh much, even when she's not in the water. The ena, he leaves at the bottom of the tidepool, wrapped around a rock to stop it from drifting away.
"Isamu," he calls once he's a good way up the beach, staggering a little as he tries to find his footing in the sand. There's no way he's risking both their necks by using the cliff stairs, so he begins the climb up the winding cliff path leading back to the Kihara house. His grandfather is sitting on the front porch. Isamu drops both the net he's repairing and the cup of tea in his hands when he sees what his grandson is carrying in his arms.